HACCP plan example

HACCP plan for kombucha

The steps, hazards and critical limits in a kombucha plan, as Fermento's template sets them up for the United States and the United Kingdom.

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HACCP plans are part
of a paid plan.

The HACCP view for a kimchi batch: one deviation open at pH 4.7, the pH curve against its 4.6 limit, control points for salting and fermentation, and verification tasks such as pH meter calibration
A monitoring log exported from Fermento as a PDF for a batch of sauerkraut: date, time, check, reading, critical limit, whether it was within the limit, who took it and the corrective action

The plan

What the plan contains

A kombucha plan comes down to four things: cool the tea fast, add enough starter, prove the brew got acidic in time, and keep alcohol under the legal limit after bottling. This is how Fermento's template writes them down.

1

Brewing and cooling

Step
Hazard
Spore-forming bacteria grow if sweet tea cools slowly.
Limit
Cooled from 60 °C to 20 °C within 2 hours.
United States
Steep in boiling water, then cool before adding the starter.
United Kingdom
Boil, then cool quickly before adding the starter.
If it fails
Cool faster next time, in smaller volumes or an ice bath.
2

Culturing

Critical control point
Hazard
Pathogens grow before the brew is acidic.
Limit
At least 10% starter liquid, and pH 4.6 or lower once it is added.
United States
Kombucha Brewers International Code of Practice.
United Kingdom
Kombucha Brewers International Code of Practice.
If it fails
Add more starter liquid and retest.
3

Fermentation

Critical control point
Hazard
Pathogens survive if the pH stays high. Too low a pH can burn.
Limit
pH inside the set range by the set day, checked daily near the end.
United States
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (2017) and New York Agriculture and Markets: 4.2 or lower within 7 days, never below 2.5.
United Kingdom
FSAI Guidance Note 37: 4.4 or lower within 7 days, not below 3.0.
If it fails
Keep fermenting and retest. If it drops below the lower limit, dilute with fresh tea.
4

Bottling

Critical control point
Hazard
Alcohol rises above the legal limit in the bottle, because a live drink keeps fermenting.
Limit
Alcohol at or under the legal limit for a soft drink.
United States
TTB: below 0.5% at all times, including after bottling (27 CFR 25.11).
United Kingdom
Licensing Act 2003: over 0.5% is alcohol in England and Wales.
If it fails
Chill at once to stop fermentation, and retest.

This is the content of Fermento's template, with the guidance it cites. A template is a starting point. Your regulator decides what applies to your kitchen, so take the plan to them before you rely on it. Fermento is a record-keeping tool and does not give legal advice.

In the app

The limit is checked as you log

Type a reading and Fermento compares it with the critical limit for that step and that day. One that falls outside the limit says so before you save, and saving opens a deviation with a corrective action to record.

How HACCP works in Fermento

A check-in for a kimchi batch: typing pH 4.8 shows that it is outside the fermentation limit of pH 4.6 or lower by day 5, and that saving opens a deviation

The record

Every check ends up in the log

The PDF lists each check with its reading, the limit, whether it was within it, who took it and what was done about any deviation. That page is what an inspector asks to see.

Blank log sheets to print

The monitoring log page of the exported PDF, with one deviation highlighted and its corrective action written beside it

Questions

What are the critical control points for kombucha?

In Fermento's template they are culturing (enough starter to reach pH 4.6 or lower at once), fermentation (pH inside the set range by the set day) and bottling (alcohol under the legal limit). Cooling the tea is a step with a time limit.

What pH should kombucha reach?

Fermento's template uses the guidance for where you sell. For the United States it follows Pennsylvania and New York guidance: 4.2 or lower within 7 days and never below 2.5. For the United Kingdom it follows FSAI Guidance Note 37: 4.4 or lower within 7 days and not below 3.0.

Do I need a HACCP plan to sell kombucha?

That is your regulator's decision, and it differs by place and by how you sell. Ask them first. A written plan with limits and records is what you bring to that conversation.

HACCP plan for kimchi and sauerkraut   HACCP in Fermento

The wait is worth it

Fermento is on the App Store, for iPhone and iPad.

Download Fermento on the App Store AppleApp of the Day from the creators of murmur and Layered